Overlooked Brewers trade piece may be slipping into a larger role with the Red Sox

Hardly the centerpiece of the Caleb Durbin-Kyle Harrison trade with the Boston Red Sox, former Milwaukee Brewers utility man Andruw Monasterio was more or less treated as a one-for-one swap with David Hamilton as a smaller deal inside the larger one.

The two players appear to be largely interchangeable. Both are above-average defenders with middle-infield bona fides, while Hamilton brings more speed to the basepaths to counter Monasterio's thump at the plate.

However, Monasterio is more versatile, having played both corner infield spots and even a little left field during his tenure in Milwaukee. That experience appears to be coming in rather handy in Boston right now, as the Red Sox expect to be without backup first baseman Triston Casas come Opening Day.

Andruw Monasterio adding more versatility to his repertoire after being traded by Brewers

The Brewers, who are the kings of depth and versatility, didn't trade Monasterio away with the intention of watching him develop into a Ben Zobrist-type of super utility savant elsewhere. He was merely redundant once Hamilton was included in the trade.

Still, if he can supply the Red Sox with a capable glove at the cold corner — he's graded out as a positive defender there in 36 1/3 career innings — it would earn the 28-year-old a real good opportunity to make the Opening Day roster with his new team. The fact that he can also play third base (somewhere Hamilton has only one inning of experience) only helps his chances.

Of course, Monasterio became somewhat redundant on the roster once Jett Williams was brought in via the Freddy Peralta trade. Between him, Brice Turang, and Joey Ortiz, the Crew have a sterling group of middle-infield defenders, and you can now include Luis Rengifo and Hamilton in that mix. It's not like adding first base to his skillset would have helped Monasterio's case, either; Jake Bauers and Tyler Black are better hitters already on the 40-man roster.

In effect, this isn't a situation worth pulling hairs out over. Hamilton and Monasterio's 2026 projections show similar players, even if the former is severely lacking in offensive impact. Barring unforeseen breakouts from either infielder (or Anthony Seigler or Shane Drohan), the winner of the trade will be determined by Harrison and Durbin's performances.